SM AND ICTS AS TOOLS FOR VISITOR FLOW MANAGEMENT IN HERITAGE DESTINATIONS

Social, economic, and environmental factors influence tourism while, at the same time, tourism is an important contributor to the development of these factors on local, regional, and global level. Whether tourism has positive or negative implications on the destinations’ development, depends directly on how well it is managed and how well local values are communicated. Organizations responsible for tourism in heritage areas often struggle with the integration of and balance between tourism management and marketing activities and interests.
In recognizing this complexity, the study aims to examine the relevance of social media for tourism management and marketing communication, to explain their interconnectedness, and to deliver solutions for tourism management in heritage areas and communication of heritage values using social media and Information and Communication Technologies. It presents the Heritage Stewardship Destinations framework as well as the concept of the Feedback Tourism Economy which aims at empowering future strategies and plans based on feedback and fostering interactions among all tourism actors within a heritage destination.